Hope For the Hopeless
by ren-hatake
Summary: Steve Rogers stumbles upon a farm where he meets someone that looks like someone from his past. Steve x OC
1. Stranger

The road seems endless as Steve kept driving his Harley out towards the country side. He had no idea where he was going, but after retrieving the tesseract and capturing Loki; he had nothing else to do. Everyone was going their own separate ways, somewhere to go, and something to do.

After spending a year staying in one place, Steve decided that he should explore America. The captain didn't know when the next threat was going to be. So instead of lounging around he decided what better way to travel than riding on his Harley? The blonde wanted to see more of the world, wanted to see how much has changed.

As the miles and miles rolled by, Steve couldn't remember what state he was in. He was so into his thoughts that he didn't keep track of the signs. The blonde continued riding hoping he would find some sign to show him where he was, the huge green plain that he was accustomed to seeing soon turn into trees. The huge trees stood all and covered parts of the sky as Steve whizzed on through. The blue eyed man was perplexed at the change of scenery.

It would have helped if there was something that showed him where he was. Then a peculiar smell hit his nose, the natural reaction to scrunch up his nose in disgust. Is that—his thought was cut off when heard a few moos to his left.

The line of trees soon disappeared to reveal a huge herd of cattle. When Steve continued on, he soon found that the asphalt road converted to dirt. What made him more confused was the dirt road led him to a two story house. The white house stood strong as the striking white color hit his eyes, the light blue shutters, and nice porch right out front.

This house reminded him a lot of his time period. Something drew him to the house as he mindlessly got off his bike. His icy blue eyes scanned around the perimeter as he inched towards the house. He took a few more steps before he heard a voice to the right of him, "May I help you?"

Steve jerked back as he turned, "My apol-" he froze as his eyes widened at the sight before him. The woman that stood before him was clearly an older lady seeing the creases around her eyes and mouth. Her mouth curved downwards as she stared at the stranger, "Can I help you with something?" a distinct British accent flowed out of her lips.

Steve looked at the woman once more, the supple pink lips that were tainted red, the long wavy chocolate brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her smoldering dark brown eyes bored into his. "Impossible." He muttered.

Everything about her reminded him so much of her…

The woman looked concern when Steve turned a bit pale, "Sir, are you okay?" she stepped closer to him; Steve tried to compose himself, he shook his head, "I'm f-fine. You just…" he swallowed the huge lump in his throat, "You remind me of someone."

She nodded in understanding before asking for the third time if he wanted any help. She looked exactly like Peggy except this woman had longer hair and had wrinkles that defined her old age. "Uh, no. I took the wrong route and ended up here. My apologies." He offered her a smile, slowly he stepped back towards his motorcycle.

"Well maybe I can help you get to where you are going? I know the area like the back of my hand." There was a tightening in his chest when the worried expression turned into a beautiful smile. Steve shook his head, "That's not necessary ma'am. I can find my way out, but thank you for your kind offer." The smile didn't last long on her face as she stood her ground.

"At least stay for dinner. It's getting dark out and the next hotel or civilization isn't for another hundred miles or so."

"I don't think-"

"I insist." She cut him off, raising a brow at the young man. Her stubbornness just oozed Peggy and the look she gave him was all too familiar. Before he can say anything else, the woman clapped her hands together with a victorious smile on her face.

"Then it's settled. Why don't you put your bike out in the back? My daughter Kalliope is back there, she can show you where to put it." She shooed him away before shouting, "I forgot my manners" she jogged towards him sticking her hand out, "Charlotte Mercer."

"Steve Rogers." He took her hand with his, blue eyes avoided her gaze as she firmly squeezed his hand "Pleasure to meet you Steve."

"Likewise." Taking his bike, he rolled it towards the back where the land spread out far and wide. The vast plain was covered in animals and barns. Steve was absolutely lost as to where he was to find this 'Kalliope' person. As he walked around the farm, he assumed to check the barns since it was his best bet.

He checked the first barn seeing that it was filled with goats and chickens; seeing that no one was inside he went to the second barn. He saw that the large doors were wide open, hopefully she was in there. When he walked in he noticed a figure in the barn tending to a horse. The strong muscles of the horse rippled as the woman brushed the dark coat.

From what he can see the woman had dark brown hair just like her mother and the tight shirt that she was wearing made her long back noticeable. Made it noticeable? How does that even make sense? A deep blush rose to his cheeks feeling uncomfortable staring at her _long_ back. Her dark green cargo pants hung around her hips as she stepped to the side to brush the rest of the horse's back.

"Are you going to keep checking me out or are you going to make your presence known?"

Steve stood there in shock at her sense of presence. "Um, hi. I'm Steve Rogers…your mother invited me for dinner and I was wondering where I should put my bike." He said as he walked closer to the woman. Kalliope turned to see the man easily towered over her; her honey brown eyes went up and down his figure making him blush, "Right this way." she muttered as the man followed right behind her and placed his bike right where she told him to.

"So _Kalliope_." Steve tried out her name, he halted when he saw the woman was nowhere in sight. His crystal blue eyes wandered around the barn to see that the horse she was grooming vanished. Steve was a little perplexed by her dismissive behavior as a horse's neigh was heard towards the front of the barn. As he walked over, he can see that Kalliope resumed her work by attaching a saddle to the stallion.

Kalliope didn't utter a word towards Steve as she tightened the saddle before hoisting her cowboy boots onto the stirrup pad throwing herself over onto the saddle. Quickly adjusting to her seat as the reddish stallion took a few anxious steps, Kalliope finally acknowledged the man behind her. "Why don't you go inside? I'm sure my mama would want your assistance."

It seem like Steve couldn't get a word in with her as she whistled calling out a name, "Bailor!" a black and white Border Collie raced towards her, just as the dog reached her, she galloped towards the fenced off plains where the cattle were.

The blonde man stood there for a couple of seconds as the passive behavior towards him reminded him of how women used to overlook him before he changed. The familiar feeling felt odd to him, but he quickly shook it off and headed inside hoping Charlotte can occupy his time with something. Kalliope raced around the herd as Bailor helped her round them up.

Her mind couldn't help wandering off to the mysterious blue eyed, blonde haired stranger that stepped onto their property. No offense to the man, but he was the poster boy of being pretty. His sandy blonde hair perfectly parted as it was swooped back with gel or water, his icy blue eyes held kindness and tenderness she rarely saw in a man, especially one that is built like him. He was extremely fit from what she can tell and his dopey smile told her, he wasn't as confident as she assumed he was.

In Kalliope's mind he was too…pretty to have any interest in him. What was his name again?

Allen?

James?

Cole?

She knew it was a common name, that's what she gets for not paying attention…how embarrassing. Hopefully, her mother would help her out by saying his name. Kalliope didn't want to be scolded by calling the man 'Hey you!'. She can imagine the confusion and possible hurt in his eyes.

The woman would look like a complete bitch. It wasn't her fault that names don't stick to her as fast as she would have liked. Was his name Rogers? _No, that was his last name_, she thought. Shrugging her shoulders she came to the conclusion that Rogers would suffice. Finally her mind was put at ease as she led the last stray of cows into the smaller field.

Kalliope continued her labor outside as the sun was beaming down on her, fixing her hat to block the sun out of her eyes, she heaved a large bucket towards the pig pen. The heavy pink snorting pieces of lards circled around Kalliope as she tried to keep the smelly bucket on her shoulder.

Stumbling through the muddy pen, she finally dumped the slob into the large trough. Blowing the strands of blond out of her face, she trudges out of the pen before closing it, watching the pigs greedily eat the food. Taking a few minutes to rest she then continued her work load. Once she was done, her body ached in more places than one.

Dragging her feet inside the house, Kalliope quietly walked up the stairs to take a soothing bath. When she was done, she ran a brush through her brown hair, grabbing the piece of blond hair she braided it before braiding the rest of her hair back. Now in fresh clean clothes Kalliope walked down the steps to hear her mother's voice, "Kallie?" the young woman popped her head into the kitchen to see her mother drinking lemonade at the table.

"Why don't you help Steve bring the logs in for the fireplace?" the young woman blinked thinking it was an absurd idea because one, they didn't need much wood and secondly, no man would want help from anyone. Without complaint though, Kalliope didn't know what she was going to expect when she found Rogers, but it certainly wasn't what she witnessed.

Her lips fell in awe when she saw the huge pile of house beside the house that wasn't there hours prior. "How did you-" she pointed at him and then the pile. Steve looked up to see Kalliope staring in awe, "Hey." He greeted her. He didn't know how to start a conversation with someone that slightly made him anxious.

He had no idea why she was out here in the first place. Steve wanted to break the trance she was in since it brought him discomfort. "Did Mrs. Mercer need anything?...or do _you_ need something?" he asked timidly.

It was more logical to ask about her mother first since he spent the day with her. The more he spent time with Charlotte, the less he saw Peggy in her; maybe it was a figment of his imagination that made him assume that the woman had some type of connection with Peggy. Charlotte is a kindred spirit and her motherly antics just made him feel comfortable to see how genuine she was.

Kalliope on the other hand…

"My mother wanted me to help you bring in some of the wood. I guess you were taking longer than she expected-"

"Sorry." he blurted out, "I'll be right in." Steve started to gather the wood in his large arms. When he saw Kalliope join him, he profusely told her it was unnecessary and that he had it. She raised a brow at his comment, "Are you saying that because I am a girl?" his blue eyes widened as he shook his head, "No, I didn't mean that at all! It's just…there's no need for you to help, not that I have a problem with that." He muttered the end when the brunette in front of him wandered over to him.

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind if I took some off your hands, then?" her annoyance let her Southern twang ring in his ears for the first time, without getting his response, she took a few logs from his grasp and headed inside the house. Steve let out a sigh of relief. He didn't realize he was holding his breath when he was around her. Recomposing himself, he trailed behind the woman thinking of ways how to relieve the tension between the two of them.

* * *

This is for BreezeInMonochromeNight so we can add a little bit more of Captain America love to this site :) I swear, I feel like writing a story for each Avenger XD I need to stop myself haha anyways hope you like this first chapter. I find it to my liking, hope you do too. Review please


	2. Can't Say No

Kalliope was annoyed.

She was more than annoyed; she was just irritated and angry. Why did her mother have to be a saint and offer Rogers a place to stay? Didn't he say he had somewhere else to go? There had to be someplace where he can go and bother some other family; she was used to having just her and her mother around the farm. Kalliope felt odd having a man around to be honest.

Pursing her lips, she glanced up through the window as she washed the dishes watching Mr. Goody Two Shoes lifting stacks of hay for her mother onto a truck. What was so special about him that has gotten her mother acting so kind? Usually her mother was a firecracker around complete strangers, but seeing her acting so nice around Mr. Perfect was a little unnerving.

Kalliope continued to scrub the dish that was in her hand that she didn't hear someone walking into the kitchen with a perplexed look on their face, "I think it's clean enough, Kallie." Her dark eyes glanced to see her mother, Charlotte giving her a grin.

She scoffed, rinsing the dish and stacking it near the sink, "Whatever." She mumbled. Charlotte saw the bitter looks that her daughter has been giving their visitor and couldn't help, but ask what her problem was. When Kalliope heard the hint of disappointment in her tone, she twisted her head with narrowing eyes, "I just don't see why you are so into this guy. You barely even know him and here you are acting like a school girl."

Charlotte rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, "Oh Kallie, I am just being nice to the poor man. Steve needs all the help he can get and being here with us seems to be doing him some good. Now, I need you to ride into town and deliver the dairy products to the Millers. Think you can handle that?"

"Of course I can handle that."

"With Steve?" Charlotte added; Kalliope cringed at the name; _so that was his name, Steve. Huh, typical good boy name._ The mother watched her daughter conflict with herself knowing that if she declined taking Steve along with her, it would only prove that her mother was right; she couldn't handle it. But being the Southern bell that she was, Kalliope sucked it up and forced out a kind smile as she batted her lashes, "Yes ma'am."

Charlotte snorted at Kalliope's sarcasm, "And people wonder why you are still single even with that pretty face. You are just like your mama."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Kalliope answered.

As the young woman stepped out of the house in the blazing heat of the South, the humidity clung to her clothes within minutes of being outdoors. Thankfully, her hair was already pulled up into a high pony tail and her flannel shirt was tied up to her mid-drift with a white tank top underneath, her long toned and tanned legs were bare as her short shorts covered her bum and to top it all off she had her traditional cowboy boots that she always wore.

"Hey you!" Kalliope called out towards the guy.

Steve turned around in curiosity as he looked at the one woman that he got nervous around with a little hint of fear surfacing. The typical 'hey you' comment brought back memories, Steve was never the one that was recognizable or memorable so to 'spare' his feelings, people tend to stick to the one phrase that could mean anything.

Despite him feeling the need to avoid the woman, he forced a smile as he dusted off his hands, "Good morning, Miss Kalliope." Hearing her groan and roll her eyes made his stance waver as she responded with her snarky attitude, "What is it with you and with this misses crap? Kalliope or Kallie would suit me just fine."

"S-Sorry."

Kalliope hummed as she finally stood face to face with Steve, with her hands on her hips she glanced up at him, "I'm going into town to drop off some products at a store and mama wants you to come along with me. You ready to go?"

Steve glanced at his finished work as he quickly responded, "Yeah. Let's go." He knew why Charlotte wanted him to go with her into town; there were some 'wack jobs' as the older woman like to put it around town and didn't want Kalliope to run into trouble with that foul mouth of hers. Quickly, he followed the temper ill woman towards another truck that was filled with cartons of dairy products and other necessities and hopped into the passenger seat.

To say that it was the most uncomfortable thirty minutes of his life was an understatement; he rather deal with Red Skull again than being in the same car with Kalliope. At least, Red Skull showed some emotion. Kalliope was like a statue as she drove quietly into town, there wasn't even any music playing in the background.

Steve could only think of how different Kalliope was to her mother, Charlotte. When Steve was around Charlotte she was quite the chatterbox. She would rant on and on about different things he hasn't even heard of and when he asked what it was, she didn't pause for a second to question as to why he didn't know and just explained every single thing she shared with him. The Captain also knew that Charlotte _loves_ music. No matter what she was doing or where she was, there was always music playing as she worked, singing along and practically prancing around him jokingly.

It was quite the sight to see.

Charlotte was like no other woman he has ever met; she was care-free, bubbly, and understanding soul despite having someone like Kalliope for a child. He couldn't understand why Kalliope wasn't more like her mother nor had similar traits seeing that she was probably raised solely by her mother. It wasn't in his right to judge, but he was curious.

There can be so many benefactors as to why Kalliope was the way that she was. Kalliope was pretty, she wasn't as strikingly beautiful as her mother, maybe it was because of their personality, but Kalliope did show beauty in her own way. Or that is what he hoped.

Finally arriving into town, Kalliope parked the truck in front of the small store and hopped right out. Walking around towards the bed of the truck, she opened the door and jumped up to get the first box unloaded. When she bent down to get the first box, Steve's eyes widened at the sight, he wasn't aware how _short_ her shorts were until then. He couldn't understand how girls could wear something so revealing, he moved his cobalt colored eyes somewhere else as the natural discomfort of women soaked into his brain.

"Are you going to just stand there like a buffoon or are you going to help me?" her Southern accent snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned around to see that she was standing up on the bed looking annoyed as she held the box out towards him.

Clearing his throat, he took the box as she instructed, "Just head on inside, Billy has been waiting for us so he'll tell you where to put it." Before turning around and getting another smaller box so she can jump down safely and followed Steve inside. It amused her that he was indeed Mr. Goody Two Shoes as he averted his gaze when she bent over practically showcasing her ass to him.

She thought he would show his perverted side and sneak peeks, but he did no such thing. He was a complete gentleman. How _sickening._ As she entered the store, she was greeted by a tall bald man as he smiled his crooked teeth at her, "Kalliope Mercer as I live and breathe. It's been too long since I have seen ya. I can't remember the last time you delivered anything to me, ya mama does all the deliverin' after your injury. How is that shoulder of yours?"

Kalliope shrugged, "It's doin' fine. Got bucked off by a wild horse and the doctor put me on bed rest which was ridiculous. I'm doin' just fine if you ask me." before she smiled into the hug the older man gave her. Steve stood back in shock watching a sincere smile spread across her face. She was prettier when she smiled…

"Well, you just take it easy. Don't want you on bed rest again; we all know how Charlie gets when you are injured. So, who is this fella?" Billy jabbed his finger towards Steve. Kalliope answered quickly, "Some wanderer my mother loves to death." Rolling her eyes. Steve took the time to introduce himself, holding out his hand for the older man to shake who in turn shook it with pride, "Nice to meet ya Steve. Good to see there is a man around the Mercers now. You lovely ladies need some protectin'."

"We don't need men to protect us. That's why guns were created." Kalliope countered.

Billy's booming laugh startled Steve as he clasped his hand on Kalliope's shoulder, "Ain't that the truth, but still. It's nice to know there is someone around there besides you and your mama. Now let me get you that money, so you can head out and continue on your job. I know the Freedmans won't take too kindly for you being late again."

Kalliope agreed as she waited for Billy to count the money and handing it to her, she hugged him, "Have a nice day, Mr. Miller."

"You too. Take care of her, Steve."

"I will." Steve promised. As they hopped into their truck again, Kalliope drove to the other side of town towards the Freedman household. Kalliope always hated doing personal house deliveries, when it usually happens; it was for the rich people around the neighborhood. Everyone else usually get their food at the Miller's store where she delivers to, but bringing the food personally to the Freedman's. It was her worst nightmare.

Driving up the long dirt road with trees lined up like a pathway towards the large white mansion sized house, Steve stared up in awe as they inched closer. He glanced at the irritated look Kalliope had and he realized now that Charlotte wanted him to come along so she wouldn't mess up this delivery. For some reason, this house made him uneasy as well.

Getting out of the car, Kalliope did the same routine except this time she ordered, "Stay close to me and _never_ leave my sight for one second."

He was curious as to why he would have to do such a thing until the door opened revealing a woman around Kalliope's age. Her long blond hair was in ringlets and the color of her hair rivaled the sun, her naturally tan face was clear of any blemishes and the yellow sundress fitted her perfectly with sunglasses to match her dress. When the blond took off her sunglasses to reveal the deepest blue of eyes he has ever seen, he couldn't help, but stare, especially when she smiled.

"Kalliope! It's so great to see you again and who is this handsome stranger?" her attention was turned to Steve.

"The name is Steve Rogers, ma'am." He answered politely.

"Nice to meet you Steve, I'm Esther Freedman. Why don't I show you where to put those, must be heavy for you to hold onto them for so long." Walking deeper into the house as she chatted about what was new around the place, Kalliope couldn't care less about how she was doing. Esther got on her nerves, her and her stupid smiling face and sweet nature. Made her sick. Kind of like Steve over here who was fawning over her like some bear in heat.

When Kalliope felt Esther's hand on her shoulder, she desperately wanted to slap it away, but refrained, "Kalliope, why don't you sit down and relax and let me get a few of the butlers to bring in the rest of the boxes. I heard about your shoulder and you shouldn't strain yourself."

"I'm fine. I am very capable of doing my job, Esther." She snapped.

Esther flinched as she cleared her throat and straightened out her posture, "Alright then. Would you care for some lemonade before you go back?" her eyes flickering over the two and lingering on Steve. Kalliope wanted to gag at the eyes the blond was making towards Mr. Perfect. Mr. and Mrs. Perfect, how wonderful. Steve cautiously looked at Kalliope to see if she wanted to stay, clearly she didn't and not wanting to upset her any further he politely declined.

"Maybe some other time."

Esther showed her disappointment before she announced she was going to get her father to come pay for the food. Once she was out of sight, Kalliope let out a sigh of aggravation, mumbling to herself that she had to stay here for a few more minutes before all of this was over. Steve couldn't understand why Kalliope hated Esther so much, maybe he can find out on their way home. That would be something to talk about.

When Esther came back with her father, the stoic expression on his face showed how uptight he was, stalking over to the two. He walked up to Kalliope with the check in hand, "I know your mother prefers money with the kind of business she owns, but this is all I have at the moment."

Kalliope gritted her teeth as she forced a smile, "No, this is fine. Thank you, Mr. Freedman."

"You're very welcome, Kalliope. You both know your way out and have a nice day."

As Kalliope turned around, she rolled her eyes as she walked out the door with Steve in tow. Thinking she was alone, she let out a grunt of frustration before she heard the annoying voice of Esther behind them. "Wait!" as she climbed into the truck, she leaned on her seat as she saw the blond jogging towards the truck, placing her hands on the door, Esther gave a smile to the both of them, "I'm sorry about my father. He can be an ass sometimes."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Kalliope sarcastically said.

Esther frowned for a second before she shook her head and continued, "Well, I was thinking that since I was having a small gathering at my house for my birthday this weekend, maybe you two might want to come? It will be fun! We can swim in the lake behind my house and there will be tons of food there and Shane will be there." Esther nudged the young woman in the driver's seat.

Kalliope flinched at the name before she frowned, "I don't think so."

"Why not? It'll be fun." Esther's blue eyes wandered over to the passenger side, "How about you Steve? Will you come to my birthday party?" clasping her hands together like a child as she gave the best and most pathetic pleas that Kalliope has ever seen. There was no way Steve was going to turn her down, not with how nice he is.

"Sure." Even his answered sounded uncertain, like he made a mistake agreeing to going. Esther smiled as she promised that he will have a blast at her party. The blond turned to Kalliope and said, "You can always come along if you want. I hope you change your mind. I'll see you at my party, Steve." Waving at him before turning around and practically floating to her house with glee.

Kalliope scoffed as she turned on the car, "I hope you know what you got yourself into."

As they drove away from the Freedman manor, Steve couldn't help, but wonder why Kalliope is so cold towards people. Well certain people. She was warm around her mother, Billy, and the animals she takes care of, other than that; she is rude to everyone else. Steve didn't think things through as he blurted out, "Why are you so mean towards Esther?"

Kalliope pursed her lips as she responded, "That is none of your business."

"You're right. It's not, but still she was nothing, but nice to you and you acted so mean around her." it brought so many questions in his mind. Did Esther do something so horrible that Kalliope resented her? Maybe it has something to do with that Shane guy.

"Esther and I went to the same school since we were kids, we never got along. End of story." Kalliope ended it short and sweet. There was nothing to explain. She didn't need a reason as to why she disliked Esther, she just did and having Steve around wasn't helping either. Tapping her fingers along the steering wheel, she saw that Steve as about to ask more questions, she quickly turned on the radio, not wanting to deal with whatever he wanted to ask next.

Steve instantly stopped as he head music playing in the background, he saw Kalliope lightly bob her head as her lips barely moved, mumbling the words to the song. It brought a smile to Steve's face seeing that maybe Kalliope was more like her mother after all.

* * *

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it just as much. Please review!**

Wall of awesomness

**Ravenclaw Slytherin** (Thank you so much. Hope you like the update)

**Arinlianette** (Thank you. :) I try to make it as original as possible and I find it's quite different and I am proud of that)

**BreezeInMonochromeNight **(Thankies and hope you like this chapter as well. Love me some Spangly Steve XD)

**AndieGibbs09 **(Thank you so much. I am deeply flattered and I know your frustration. It is very hard to find a fic on here that is Steve/OC. I hope you like this chapter as much as I do. There are some weird stories on here that don't make any sense and it just makes me cringe at how horrible some of them are. Hope this fills your Steve need)


	3. Troublesome Thoughts

Charlotte was preparing for a late lunch when she heard the tires of the truck rolling in, peering up from the kitchen window she saw her daughter getting out of the car and slamming the door in anger. Her eyes immediately went to Steve who held a worried look on his face as he kept glancing at Kalliope as she marched right towards the front door of the house.

The mother continued to chop up the vegetables as the front door received the same treatment as the car door. "What did the door ever to do you, Kallie?" Charlotte called out. The grunt of frustration roared out of Kalliope as she stomped into the kitchen and out the back door. Charlotte brushed her brown hair back with the back of her hand as she turned back to Steve who stood near the entry way of the kitchen.

"I'm guess the drive wasn't as peaceful as I thought it would be." She guessed as she sliced up the potatoes.

Steve sighed as he inched closer to the one person he felt comfortable around at the moment, he was slightly scared of Kalliope, having a feeling that she needed to be alone at the moment. "She was fine when we were at the Millers, but when we visited the Freedmans…" he trailed off, "I don't know, she was just bitter the whole time."

Charlotte hummed; "If she was bitter then I am guessing that Esther was there, am I right?" her dark eyes peered up at the captain as he nodded slowly. Steve was curious as to what happened that made Kalliope so heartless when it came to the blonde. Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from Kalliope, he thought maybe Charlotte would shed some light on the story.

"Yeah, but I have no idea why Kalliope was acting the way she was. Esther was so…kind, sweet, and all around nice. She even invited the both of us to her birthday party" he paused hearing the mother stifle a laugh, "What's so funny?" he furrowed his brows at his only companion here.

Charlotte shook her head, "It's nothing. Continue."

Steve looked at her strangely, not believing what she said, regardless, he continued anyways, "Did something happened between the two that made Kalliope the way she is? All I got from her was that they were in school together and they never got along."

"Is that what she told you?" Charlotte raised a brow at the young man; she shook her head, "What she told you is partially true. So, are you going to the party?" changing the subject quickly, it wasn't in her place to share the intimate details of her daughter's life to Steve. Even if he was a nice man, she barely knew him and it was her daughter's business.

She could sense that he wanted to stay on the subject, but quickly went along with what she was doing, "Um, I guess so." Charlotte laughed as she leaned her hip onto the counter, "You don't sound so sure of yourself. Never been to a birthday party before?"

Steve bit the inside of his lip, "It's been a long time since I went to one. _Very_ long time."

Charlotte wiped off her hands on a towel before placing her delicate hand on his shoulder, reassuring him, "Don't you worry about a thing. If you really want to go to this party, Kallie will accompany you to make things less awkward."

Steve protested quickly, "I don't want Kalliope to fee-"

"Nonsense! It is about time she accepts an invitation to Esther's party. That girl barely leaves this farm and has fun, maybe you can show her how to have a good time." She winked at him before turning back and finishing the stew, Steve smiled a bit before he offered if he can be of assistance.

"Well, aren't you always the perfect gentleman? How you are still single, baffles me." she teases. Steve gives her a nervous smile as he starts to set the table.

* * *

Kalliope's anger has simmered since she arrived back home, she was more annoyed when she heard her mother's teasing voice from the kitchen. Storming right past her, her hands itched for something to hold. Something so she can beat the crap out of something. She knew her anger was something she should work on and having some sort of release would help greatly.

Walking towards one of her barns, she heard a few of the horses pop their heads out as their owner stomped towards the door and grabbed the axe for special occasions. Twirling the axe expertly she walked over to the old and battered canoe that was set on the side for her. It has been her form of release since she was a young girl and so far, it has helped her release some of her emotions, good and bad.

As she took the first swing, the sudden release of emotions swept through her and before she knew it, she was in a blinded fury. Kalliope didn't care if anyone saw her release her frustrations of the canoe, tears started to blur her vision as flashbacks flooded her head.

How can she be fine with Shane being there? Was Esther really that stupid? To think that after all this time, she was completely fine with being used by the one person she trusted? Kalliope didn't trust that many people, everyone knew. It was rare when she let someone in and when she let Shane in…she thought that he was different.

Sadly, he wasn't.

He was the same like everyone else, a shallow, idiotic fool that wanted Esther's attention. Of course, Esther being Esther was oblivious to the whole thing, being the friendly and sweet person that she was tried to include Kalliope in everything since she was with Shane.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot._ She thought gripping the axe with two hands she vertically slashed the canoe repeatedly. Gritting her teeth she felt a pair of hands grab her hands from behind, feeling the warmth and comforting feeling this person was emitting she let go of the weapon. _I'm the idiot._ She sniffled, her knees buckled as she collapsed to the ground.

Kalliope wanted to push her emotions further back into her mind, locking them up so she was at least numb from the pain she refused to feel during her teen years. It was pathetic that she held on to such emotions for so long, seven sad long years. Here she was, curled up to someone crying her eyes as hoping this would help console her. Kalliope hoped it was her mother hugging her; she needed her mom at the moment.

Her trance was broken when she heard someone say, "Everything is going to be okay, Kalliope."

Her muscles stiffened at the deep voice, her senses were coming back to her as she felt the large, strong arms encircled around her. The masculine scent hit her nose as her cheek felt the hard muscle of Steve's chest. Anger refilled her body as she quickly pushed him away, getting up from her once pathetic position, glaring at him.

No words can express how she felt about showing a vulnerable side to a complete stranger. Especially, _Steve._ Huffing, she grabbed her axe and walked away with a pissed off look leaving a confused Steve sitting on his behind.

His eyes followed her, wondering what she was crying about. He didn't care, he felt pity for her for the first time seeing her completely frustrated. Steve was watching her bash on the canoe with that axe in her hand, from the complete accuracy of her swings; he can tell she does it more than often. The captain wanted to understand her a little more and seeing her in a weak state.

It broke his heart. He hated watching people suffering and even if Kalliope made him uncomfortable and uneasy, he never wished anything horrible on her. So, instead of walking away, he stepped forward and tried to comfort her as best as he could. He wasn't the best to comfort someone since he didn't have much experience, but he has seen that hugs do have a huge impact on consoling. When he wrapped his arms around her, he could see how small she really was.

Kalliope wasn't a small girl to begin with; she was larger than the women he was used to seeing. She was thicker, to say the least, but in his arms…well, she was small and dainty for the first time. Whatever happened to her impacted her more than she let on?

Steve guessed it was probably what Esther said to her or maybe what Mr. Freedman said to her about her family. He didn't know what hit her nerve. He sighed, watching her walk away from him. "Steve! Kallie! Dinner's ready! Get your butts in here!" he heard Charlotte yell from the kitchen window. He glanced at the mother who gave a sympathetic look his way; clearly she saw what happened between the two.

Shrugging her shoulders at Steve, she waved at him to come back inside. Steve was reluctant, wanting to make sure that Kalliope was alright, but remembering the glare that he received from her, he pushed those thoughts away. Walking inside the house, Charlotte gave Steve a friendly pat on the back, "There is nothing you can do. She has to deal with this her own way. She'll come around."

Charlotte sat down at the table watching Steve glance back at the barn, "Isn't Kalliope coming?"

"She'll eat later. She needs more time to herself." Holding out her hand for him to take, Steve took her hand and bowed his head along with Charlotte as she prayed for their food. Giving a quiet 'Amen' he slowly started to eat his food thinking of the young troubled brunette that was sitting by herself.

Kalliope ran her fingers through her hair as she stared at the axe that was idly sitting in its natural place by the door; it was taking all of her not to grab the weapon and go out there and bash the canoe again. Something was holding her back. That one thing that brought embarrassment and anger to her all over again.

Steve.

She didn't want to risk her crying again. Kalliope would rather drop dead than to open up like that again with Mr. Perfect around; he made her feel small, idiotic, and flawed. It was a stupid way to think of someone who is just as flawed as her, but in her mind, he hasn't showed any flaws since he got here. Steve was different than the other men around here; it was like he was from another time period with his formalities and manners.

Twiddling her fingers, she heard a whimper to the left of her. Suddenly, she felt something wet touch her hand, her dark eyes glanced down to see Bailor nudging his nose on her hand. Offering him a soft smile, she smoothed out his black and white fur, "Easy boy. There is nothing to worry about." She murmured.

Bailor didn't look convinced as he whimpered again before placing his head on her lap for comfort; a watery smile crept on her lips. Cursing under her breath for her vulnerability at the moment, she wiped the single tear that escaped her eye as she calmly exhaled to release the tension. The snorts of the horses and clucking of chickens that were roaming around the large barn put her at ease. Just being around the animals was all she needed, it was better than slashing the canoe with the murderous axe she threatened people with and so much better than the comfort poster boy gave her.

Kalliope was glad that she was left alone for a while. No one came out to check up on her and Charlotte didn't come barging in demanding to get her ass in the house to eat. She was content staying out here, petting her dog and being in the barn filled with smelly animals.

As day turned into night, Kalliope was still in the same exact spot savoring her serenity for the day; she knew tomorrow was going to be hell since she didn't finish her workload today. Her mother probably noticed the unfinished work when she was doing her part; it surprised her that her short tempered mother didn't come storming in lecturing her for being lazy.

She spoke too soon. Her watchful eyes saw the outline of her mother stepping into the barn with a perplexed look on her face. "Have you been out here this whole time?" Kalliope nodded as she leaned her head on the wooden post as Bailor shifted his head around to see that it was Charlotte and then put his head back on his owner's lap.

Charlotte sighed as she inched closer to her daughter, "I talked to Steve…he's worried about you." She muttered.

Kalliope scoffed mumbling how she didn't care; why should she care? Watching her daughter avoid her gaze she continued, "I already told Steve you are going to that party with him this weekend." That got her attention. The young woman snapped her head up in shock and fury, "Why would you say that?"

Charlotte shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Because you need to start socializing. I don't mind that you are here working all the time, but you need to start opening up and gaining some friends. I'm not going to be here forever and watching you being bitter towards someone that clearly doesn't deserve it…well; you know how I feel about that."

The grouchy woman puffed out her cheeks in anger as she played with Bailor's fur, "You don't know the reason why I don't like Esther. You don't know anything at all."

The mother chuckled bitterly, "Oh honey, I _know_. Everyone _knows_. Who doesn't hear the drama between two girls and one boy? The boy was sick and twisted for tugging you around like that just to gain another girl's attention who clearly didn't want anything like that with him." she licked her lips as she sat down next to her daughter with a groan feeling her back ache, "Esther didn't do anything wrong. Shane was in the wrong here. If anyone is to blame, blame him."

"What are you trying to say? That I should be bffs with Esther?" she asked darkly.

"I'm not saying that. Just be civil towards her, but as for her daddy…" Charlotte scrunched up her nose in disgust, "We both need to kiss his ass to keep good business with the man even if I have daily struggles of getting my shotgun and shooting his dick off."

Kalliope laughed, feeling a little bit lighter talking with her mother. Maybe she was right. There was no sense in being bitter with someone like Esther. She did nothing wrong. "Does this mean I have to be nice to _all_ the Freedmans?" she scrunched up her nose. Esther was the only one that was sincerely sweet and nice; her sisters and parents, not so much.

"I'm afraid so. You are still going to that party." Slapping her thigh lightly making Kalliope groan.

She thought she got away with that. "Why do I have to go again?"

"To be friendly and to keep Steve company. From the sounds of it, our little boy has a little crush on Esther." Kalliope raised her brow at the assumption. It didn't seem too far-fetched, hell she already came up with a name for the both of them. If they ever got together she can hear the people around town now calling them the perfect couple. She even knew they would even go out as far as combining their name like some sick joke.

Stesther.

What a hideous name.

"How sweet." Kalliope snorted. Charlotte frowned at her daughter's sarcastic personality as she grabbed her daughter's hand to lift her up. "Why don't I heat up some food for you? You must be famished." Kalliope's stomach growled in agreement making Charlotte laugh as she wrapped her arm around Kalliope's shoulder and ushering her out of the barn with Bailor trailing behind.

* * *

**I know what you are thinking. You updated this soon? Well this story is so much easier to write for me at the moment. I will update Close Your Eyes soon, I am already working on it and hopefully end IM and start with the IM2 plots. Thank you for all the comments so far. **

**Wall of awesomness  
**

**AndieGibbs09** (haha your comment made me laugh. Yes she does have a bee in her bonnet when it comes to Steve. She did have her heart broken and more things are about to come. Esther may not be the villain in this story, but someone is. They are coming soon. Just you wait.)

**BreezeInMonochromeNight** (I thought you would. I laughed myself, but it is true. Steve is depicted as the perfect man, we just love our Spangly man :D)


	4. The SheDevil Has Come to Play

Kalliope's face expressed how annoyed she was as she sat back and let her mother, Charlotte work on her hair. For the life of her, Charlotte always wanted her daughter to be presentable whenever it was possible. Especially, since she was going to the _Freedman's_ house. Kalliope winced as her mother tugged on her hair roughly, "Oh quiet. I didn't pull on your hair that hard."

Charlotte started French braiding her hair to the side leaving an intricate pattern that flowed to the left side of Kalliope's shoulder. The older woman softly smiled at how beautiful her daughter looked as she tied the end of the braid with a black rubber band.

Clasping her hands on her daughter, she chuckled at Kalliope's hardened expression, "Ya know you would look approachable if you didn't have that 'fuck off' sign written across your forehead." Kalliope rolled her eyes as she muttered darkly, "I don't know why you want to impress the Freedman's so badly. They are just a bunch of assholes."

Charlotte laughed as she shook her head, "As much as I agree with you, be sweet towards Esther for me. I know you still have a hard time with the whole predicament."

Kalliope grunted in compliance as she stood up from the nightstand, brushing her flowy red summer dress. Fixing the straps, Charlotte lectured her to stop fidgeting; it wasn't her fault that she can't stand dresses. Kalliope was only made to wear these darn things when it was necessary and this was not one of those times.

"Rogers better be dressed and ready. The sooner we go the sooner we can get back." The rest of the week went by too fast for Kalliope's liking and now that she was going to Esther's 26th birthday party, she wanted to cringe at how tacky the party might be. Following her mother out of her room, she slipped on the kitten heels that Charlotte thought would look adorable with the dress.

Kalliope always twitched at the word. She didn't do _adorable._ Nothing about her was adorable. With a grim expression, she dragged her feet towards the living room where Steve was sitting, patiently waiting for his companion to arrive. When her heels clicked on the wooden floor, making her presence known, the captain immediately stood up.

"You look…" Steve was shocked at how _feminine _she looked; he was more than sure she was going to wear her casual shorts, tank top, and flannel top with her signature cowboy boots that she always wore. His cobalt eyes quickly looked her figure up and down seeing the red dress was modest, with the sweetheart neckline that hid her bosom more than she usually let hang out along with her rear. It was tight around her torso as it flared out around her waist as the hemline reached mid-thigh with black kitten heels.

As he continued to stare at her the tightness in his throat loosened when his eyes finally reached her face. Despite her girly look, her facial expression quickly told him that the dress wasn't to her liking, it was Charlotte's.

Pushing back the sinking feeling of being afraid of her dangerous glare, he cleared his throat as he finished his sentence, "You look beautiful, Kalliope." Watching Charlotte's face express accomplishment, she looped her arm around her daughter's shoulders, "Why thank you. I think so too." As she lightly tapped the corner of Kalliope's mouth as she muttered to her softly.

Kalliope forced a smile as she responded to Steve, "Thank you and you look…handsome." Jealousy running through her veins seeing that his clothes consisted of his regular attire, Steve held out his arm to link arms with Kalliope's, but she quickly walked towards the exit. The war hero quickly dashed after her and opened the door like the gentleman he was, refraining from rolling her eyes, she stomped towards her car.

Yanking her door open, she climbed in ignoring the waves of her mother who had a huge smile on her face. "You all have fun now. Come back as late as you want." Kalliope glared daggers at Charlotte as she drove away from the Mercer estate.

Just like the day they drove towards town, it was filled with silence and Steve was stuck on what he should say to her. He didn't know what he should do with the situation he was in, so he thought that maybe talking to her will let her get her frustrations out before they went to the party, so she can enjoy herself.

"You do look beautiful, Kalliope."

The brunette scoffed, "You already said that."

Steve sunk in his seat as he muttered, "Right, um." Kalliope stifled a laugh as she saw how much he was struggling to say something to her. The rest of the ride was slow and boring as the tense air suffocated Steve for the whole thirty minutes. When their car rolled into the Freedman estate, Kalliope's dark brown eyes looked to see more than thirty cars parked all around the front of the mansion.

Finding a spot near the back, so it would be easy to escape if she wanted to; she parked before yanking off her kitten heels ignoring the curious stare Steve was giving her. Reaching towards the back of her truck, she pulled out her worn out brown cowboy boots and when Steve saw the pair of boots a smile reached his face. Of course Kalliope would have a plan.

Slipping then on, she turned towards the perfect man beside her, "Come on. Let's get going."

Jumping out of the truck, she walked around her vehicle and saw a small silver object in Steve's hand. Raising a brow, she had a closer look as she walked around him to see it was a box. "You bought a present for Esther?"

Steve glanced at Kalliope with a confused expression, "Isn't it tradition to bring a present for someone's birthday?"

"Yeah, but you barely know her." Kalliope frowned at the gift, "I just find it weird that you would do something like that." Steve's lips curved downwards as he looked down at the small box as he shrugged, "I think the word you were looking for was thoughtful."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes as she muttered, "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into bringing a small box to a girl's party. _Especially_, Esther's." leaving the captain to think about what he probably gotten himself into, she walked towards the back of the mansion, knowing they were there hearing the country music blaring.

When she reached the back, a blank expression filled her face as she raked her eyes around the party to figure out who she was going to avoid. There were more than a few people that she rather not bump into.

"Mercy, is that you?" Kalliope cringed at the nickname; she knew it only meant one person. The one person that was far worse than Esther. Turning around slowly, she held her blank expression as her face was met with the same bright yellow curls just like Esther with bright blue eyes, "Marabeth. How nice to see you, did you get rid of that nasty pill popping habit?" tilting her head in question.

Marabeth sneered as she crossed her arms, "How sweet of you to check up on me. I'm doing fine actually…I heard you have a piece of arm candy wandering around here somewhere." The blonde's blue eyes flickered around the party.

"Arm candy? He is nothing special." Kalliope retorted as Marabeth high pitch giggle made her ears want to bleed, "Oh Mercy, you never changed. Even now, you can't see what fine men surround you until their eyes are settled on someone else." Kalliope tried to keep her temper in check as she glared up at the stringy taller girl, "I see you still have those raggedy boots."

The brunette woman forced a smile as she fired back, "And I see that you still look like an orange with no tits." Kalliope was well aware that Marabeth always had body issues like every other woman and hating the fact that she didn't have anything going on in her chest area was always a soft spot for her.

Watching the look of annoyance appear on her face made Kalliope grin in satisfaction, the two women glared at each other as they kept with their insults until a loud squeal was heard from the other side of the backyard.

Marabeth smirked, turning her attention towards her older sister who was hugging the arm candy. "I see that Esther is going to have a man by the end of the night while you stand here being the loser you always were." Pouting at Kalliope before she sauntered off exclaiming she had to meet this wonderful man her sister has been ranting on about.

Kalliope fumed as she watched both Freedman sisters laugh and talked with Steve who was evidently having a good time. Esther made gestures for the irritated woman to come forward to join the three as they chatted happily. The fiery woman made no move towards the trio as she stayed at her spot, pretending that she did not see the happy blonde kindly ask her to come over. That was until she saw a few drunken men eyes linger on her form as they made dimwitted remarks about her body.

Annoyed, Kalliope caved and joined the trio before she clobbered the men that were whistling. She was so close to making a scene and they would regret ever laying lustful eyes on her.

"Kallie! So glad that you can join us!" Esther exclaimed in glee as her arm was looped around Steve's, "Did you see what Steve bought for my birthday?" lightly touching the pendant around her olive toned neck. Kalliope shook her head, "No. What did he get cha?" feigning curiosity, what blonde boy got her didn't catch her interest in the slightest, but seeing Esther beam in joy as she lifted the silver pendant to show Kalliope.

"Isn't it beautiful? To think that Steve would be as considerate as buying me such a great gift when we are practically strangers."

_That is because you are._ She thought bitterly.

Kalliope eyed the seahorse pendant as it shined brightly under the sun, she didn't question how Steve knew her favorite sea animal. Her mother, who has delivered to the Freedman's and always made polite conversation with Esther and discovered she loved seahorses and God knows what else.

Marabeth crossed her arms, as she eyed Kalliope, "And what did you get my beloved sister? Surely, you brought _something_."

"Marabeth!" Esther scolded before she looked back at Kalliope, "Don't listen to her, you being here is more than enough for me. I'm just so happy that you are here along with Steve; this is the best gift that I have ever received…to get my best friend back." Offering the brunette woman a kind smile.

Kalliope never considered herself friends with Esther even when she was dating Shane, sure, she was kind, sweet, and generous towards her, but she always had that bitterness against her. "Well, it was great meeting you Steve. I need to mingle with the other guests and Esther don't do anything I wouldn't do." Marabeth winked at her older sister as she swayed her hips while she walked away from the group.

The ill temper woman bit back a scoff at the younger blonde as her eyes strayed towards Esther who held a deep blush. Was she really that reserved or innocent? It brought questions into her mind, how truly innocent this woman was being at the age of twenty-six, it shouldn't surprise her if she _is_ a virgin.

The way she acted should be any indication, but then she had met some women who were just like Esther and were the biggest whores she has ever met. Appearances can be deceiving, glancing at Steve before she focused on the dance floor. Suddenly, a slow country song echoed around the estate as Esther squealed. Turning her head towards the man that she was clinging to, "I love this song! Let's dance!"

Steve felt uncomfortable as he shifted on his toes, "I'm sorry Esther, but I rather step this one out." He didn't know what kind of dancing people did nowadays and he was sure that they didn't dance like they did back then. Nerves grew in his stomach just looking at the dance floor; Esther saw the discomfort that showed in his features as she kindly smiled at him.

"It's okay. I'll catch up to you later and finish that conversation we were having?" Esther lightly suggested with her big blue eyes. Steve smiled back as he nodded, "Of course, anything for the birthday girl."

As Esther walked towards the dance floor, she quickly found a partner as she swayed slowly with the man she randomly picked. Probably one of her friends, knowing her; Kalliope stood beside Steve as he watched the two dance in slow circles. "Why didn't you dance with her?" breaking his trance.

The super solider glanced at the woman beside him as he admitted quietly, "I don't know how to dance…never learned."

Kalliope licked her lips as she dug her rugged boot into the soil underneath her, "A lot of people don't know how to dance, doesn't make them afraid to make fools out of themselves." Smiling lightly at some of the uncoordinated couples that were dancing around in a silly manner, "All you need to focus on is having fun and nothing else matters." She quoted her mother.

The dark haired brunette knew a little bit about being uptight about certain things and dancing was one of them. She was stiff with her movements and according to her mother danced like her father, they had the same problem too, if they just loosened themselves up, they would be decent dancers. Charlotte took _years_ to get Kalliope to loosen up just a tiny bit to dance around like a buffoon.

It was difficult for Kalliope to do so, but it helped in the end. She had more fun when she _did_ dance, even if it was in the confinement of a barn or her room or somewhere no one can see her.

Despite Kalliope being uptight at the moment, she ushered the clueless man towards a table waiting for Esther to finish her dance with the unknown man. In silence, she twirled her braid between her fingers as she hummed the tone of the song that was coming through the speakers.

Slowly, she started to open up as she softly sang the lectures of the rock song that she didn't think would play in the Freedman estate. Knowing Marabeth, she pulled some strings with her father who was a deep rooted Southerner and only listened to country music. Hearing Aerosmith's song 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' made her smile softly since she adored this song deeply.

Kalliope didn't acknowledge Steve as his blue eyes that was focused on Esther was now focused on the soft beautiful voice beside him. He was entranced with the purity of her voice; it was nothing like he has ever heard. Steve thought if she did have a decent singing voice, it would be gruff or have a strong tone in her voice, but it was tender, gentle, and a soft cooing that he only heard a few times during his era. The blonde man openly stared at Kalliope knowing she couldn't glare at him with her eyes closed as she continued to sing, she was too in tune with the song to focus on the idiot that was staring blankly at her.

Once the song transitioned to yet another country song, hollers were heard as Kalliope opened her eyes to see most of the dancers moving to the coordinated dance that went along with the song. Her dark mocha eyes felt the burning gaze of Steve now lingering elsewhere as she saw Esther running towards their table after she spun around to find Mr. Perfect.

A huge smile plastered on her red coated lips as she pulled Steve up to his feet, "Are you ready for a swim?"

Before Steve could answer, Esther dragged him away from the party and towards the lake that she was ranting about earlier that week. Having this feeling of Esther wanting to be alone with Blondie, Kalliope stayed put as her dark brown eyes wandered around the party.

The urge to walk around was starting to get to her, picking herself up from the table that she was sitting at; she started to wander around the party, staying clear of Marabeth. So far, she hasn't bumped into Shane which was a good sign. Kalliope's nerves have never vanished since the mention of her ex attending the same party she was, it has been years since she has last seen him and she was focused on letting it stay that way.

There was no way she wanted to see his face. Becoming parched, Kalliope went towards the punch bowl, she looked at the man behind the serving table oddly as he asked, "What would you like, miss?"

_Did they really have someone serve them for all of the tables?_

Her eyes wandered towards the other tables, yes, they did have someone serving everyone at every table. How pathetic can this get? Licking her lips, she forced a smile as she answered, "Just some punch please." The man nodded as he served a cup of punch and slide it across the table, "Enjoy the rest of the party, ma'am."

Grabbing the cup, she mumbled, "Yeah. You too."

Sipping the drink, she felt a powerful kick in the beverage, loving the taste she quickly drank most of it while she nursed the rest of it in her hand as she walked around lazily. The only reason she was still at the party was because of Steve and since he was occupied at the moment and had no inclination of leaving any time soon, she might as well stay put.

Charlotte would kill her if she ditched the blonde.

Then, Kalliope decided to stray away from the party just for a little bit, no one would noticed if she did. Wandering around towards the trees, a childish smile crept on her lips as she finished her drink and putting it near the trunk before climbing up. Kalliope was always loved to climb whether it was a tree or a cliff, she loved it. Expertly, she swung herself on a good length of a branch before landing on it with a satisfied grin. Kicking her feet up and laying her head on her hands, she sighed softly as she looked out towards the blazing heat that was smothering everyone.

"Kal?" her body froze as she heard a deep rich voice from underneath her, refusing to look down, she kept her gaze focused straight across as she cursed under her breath. It could be some type of illusion that her mind wanted to play with her? Her mind wasn't that fucked up.

"Kal? Is that you?" there goes that voice again and this time, it was a bit closer. Kalliope heard rustling of leaves and the struggle this man was having to reaching at her level. It took some time before he finally did reach her and she took duration to mentally prepare herself for what was about to come.

"You were always good at climbing trees." He joked as he sat on the other branch right beside her.

Kalliope put her arms down as she grabbed onto the branch to control her temper, "What do you want, _Shane?_" Just like Marabeth, Shane had a nickname for her that she was fond of at the time and now she truly hated the three letter pet name. There was silence before Shane took the time to answer, "I came looking for you to see if you were okay."

A bitter chuckle left her lips, "You searched for me to see if I was _okay?_ Are you really that pathetic?"

Just like Kalliope, Shane didn't take shit from anyone, so for him to fire back was something familiar, "Are you really that pathetic to still be pissed off after what I did to you? It's been seven years, Kal. Grow the fuck up."

Scoffing, Kalliope started situated herself to sitting on the branch on one side, "Just leave me the hell alone, ass wipe." Swinging her legs, she pushed herself off of the branch leaving Shane in shock as she landed on her feet gracefully. A grin appeared on her face as she walked off without looking at her ex.

Deep down, she knew that she would become undone if she actually took a look at the years have done to him. Seeing him mature and grown up, instead of the baby face that he had while they were dating would just make everything so real. Kalliope did a good job at pretending everything she went through as just some twisted fantasy that she had and hearing his voice made it all come back to her.

Feeling a bit uneasy and pissed off, she stomped off towards the now soaked Esther and Steve, water clinging to their articles of clothing. "Have fun?" she asked, the blonde duo looked up as Esther smiled with a giggle, "Tons. You should have joined us." with a beaming smile.

Steve had a similar smile until his cobalt eyes reached Kalliope's face; he knew something was wrong seeing the rage in her eyes and her nostrils flaring. Stepping closer to her, he mumbled, "Did something happen while we were gone?"

Kalliope peered up at the worry that was etched on his face, "No, nothing happened."

"Mercy! There you are! Why did you run off like that?" Marabeth screeched like the vulture she was as she joined the little group. Kalliope refused to turn around knowing that Shane accompanied the blonde devil, keeping her gaze on Steve's, she heard, "What is she doin'? Trying to woo you with her eyes, Steve?"

Steve gave her an encouraging look, slowly turning around she saw Shane and Marabeth standing close to one another. "Marabeth, _Shane_." Venom dripped from her voice as Steve gave this Shane person another run down gaze; he didn't look like the type of guy Kalliope would go for, especially with her attitude. He was clean cut Southern boy with dark brown hair and eyes to match, his tan muscular skin with a boyish look to him even if he was a man.

When he saw the boyish smile, he cringed seeing Shane direct it at Kalliope, "Good to see your face, Kal. You look beautiful in that dress."

Marabeth cleared her throat as Shane corrected himself, "Not as beautiful as my fiancé, though." Steve saw Kalliope go ridged as she muttered, "_Fiancé?_" eyes flickering at the both of them as Marabeth grinned with satisfaction as she showed her beautiful flashy diamond ring, "Isn't it beautiful? Shane helped me pick it out." Looping her arms around one of Shane's.

Kalliope forced a smile as she replied, "Congrats to the both of ya. When are you getting hitched?"

"We're hoping to have a fall or maybe spring wedding. We don't know yet, but once the invitations go out, we'll let you know." Marabeth answered. Watching the young blonde woman's blue eyes twinkle with victory, Steve grabbed onto Kalliope's shoulders as he excused them from the party. Apologizing to Esther for leaving so early, she shook her head in understanding, "I understand…I didn't think Kallie would take it so hard."

Steve pursed his lips, shaking his head that Esther knew all along and didn't have the decency of sharing that bit of information to Kalliope. It would have helped, a lot and being around Esther, she was funny, sweet, and kind, but a bit clueless when it came to relationships and friendships. There was a reason why most of her friends were conceited and two-faced because Esther had no idea how to pick real friends.

Escorting Kalliope towards the car, she put her in the passenger seat as he softly asked for the keys. With a limp hand, she fished for her keys and tossed it at him before slamming the door shut. As she leaned on the door, Kalliope focused on the grass beside her, glaring. It was so damn funny to her that after Esther showed no interest in him that he would chase after the younger sister, the manipulative, devil's spawn, the leech sucking, emptying his bank account sister.

As Steve drove home, he kept his eye on the horribly quiet woman beside him. Just like every other day, she didn't make a sound. Painfully, she nibbled on her lip when the car came to a stop as she stared at the side of her home before Steve came into her line of vision and opened the door for her.

Frowning, she grumbled, "I can open the damn door myself." Sliding out of the car before he could touch her, slamming the car door shut, Kalliope tried to maneuver around Steve, but he wouldn't let her. A low growl escaped her throat as Steve stared at her in wonder at the similar sound a dog would make when they were angry.

Grabbing onto her shoulders, Kalliope tried to slap his hands away, but his brutal strength surprised her when he lifted his arm towards her head as one arm held her still. "There are leaves in your hair." He muttered, picking at the foliage she gathered in her hair.

Kalliope blushed, feeling stupid for fighting Steve when he obviously had other plans of acting kind, once again. Standing still, she let him pick off the leaves in her hair as chocolate strands fell from her hair-do. "Kalliope?"

Her dark chestnut eyes peered up as she watched Steve struggle what he wanted to say to her, in her mind, she was preparing herself for what he wanted to ask her. More or less if she was alright, he didn't look like the violent type. The blonde man with those baby blue eyes just screamed teddy bear, unless he was a ferocious teddy bear. Kalliope scoffed, doubting that latter thought. Steve cleared his throat, watching her scoff at whatever she was thinking of, something told him she was thinking of him.

"If you want…" he started, making sure that she heard every word that came out of his mouth and once he saw that she had his undivided attention, he continued, "If you want I won't associate myself with Esther. I'll still go on runs with you, but I'll keep my distance when it comes to her."

Kalliope stood there in curiosity as to why he would do something like that? Why Steve would put aside his feelings whether its friendship or something more for her? She pursed her lips as she replied, "Are you stupid or something? Do you think I am that weak to the point where you are suggesting that you avoid them as well? Don't be ridiculous, Blondie. I can handle myself quite well if I say so myself and I don't need you to protect me. So, you can play with your little girlfriend the next time you see her."

Spinning on her heel, she walked inside the house as her mother was sitting on the couch eating a tub of ice cream that was sitting on her lap as she watched television. Her dark eyes peered up at her daughter with a frown, "Kallie? _Where _are your heels?" Charlotte halted her lecture when she saw the broken state her daughter was in.

Licking the Rocky Road off her lips, she patted the spot next to her, Kalliope plopped down, kicking her boots off as she tucked her legs underneath her before laying her head on her mother's shoulder and taking the spoon that was offered to her. Eating the chocolate goodness, she watched television with her mother, thankful, that Charlotte wasn't the type of mother that loved gossip or needed to know every detail of her daughter's life. In time, if Kalliope wanted to share with her what happened, then she will be there for her.

Steve peeked into the living room to see the two Mercer women eating ice cream while watching television. There was no reason why he should interrupt their small moment together, so he walked up the stairs as silently as he could, getting ready for bed, and thinking over what Kalliope just said to him.

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**Sorry for the long wait. I was swamped with things and my uncle's wedding is next week so running around for last minute things haha and I have an convention I am going to for three days after the wedding. Fun week for me! Enjoy this chapter! What do you think is going to happen next?**

**P.S. I have a Loki story and Thor story in the works. Which one would you want first? Thoughts are welcome!  
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**Wall of awesome  
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**AndieGibbs09** (Aw, you are too kind. I am over the moon that you love my chapters so much. It is horrible that she was used like that and to find out about Shane and Marabeth, pretty much a bitch slap to the face. I love Charlotte as well, she is based off my mom, more than I actually thought haha she is awesome.)**  
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**BreezeInMonochromeNight** (Thanks girlie, I hope I do this story justice and pace myself and develop a great story for this. Can't wait to read your newest chapters for your stories.)

**Ravenclaw Slytherin** (Thanks, hope you like this update.)


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